Yayoi Inada

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that shook Miyagi, Japan on March 11, members of the UncommonGoods family are reaching out to lend support to the families of nearly 11,000 who lost their lives and the hundreds of thousands who were left injured and homeless by the massive quake and the subsequent tsunami, which struck Japan’s eastern coastline.

AmeriCares, our Better to Give partner, is working to help those affected by this catastrophic natural disaster. Within hours of these events, AmeriCares began sending relief workers, organizing donations and contacting doctors to provide aid.

“Working with a local partner, AmeriCares distributed hundreds of cases of hygiene items—including soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and paste, diapers, baby wipes and bottled water—to shelters in the hard-hit cities of Iwanuma, Watari and Yamamoto in northeast Japan,” their online newsletter explains.

With thousands of individuals and families displaced, and more than 16,000 people still missing, AmeriCares continues to provide support to those in need.

One of the wonderful things about working at UncommonGoods is getting to hang out in beautiful Brooklyn every day. Not only is Brooklyn our home, it’s also home to some incredibly talented artists.

Instead of letting all the Brooklyn pride well up until we burst, we decided to gush about a few of the artists that help make this borough great!

We’re kicking-off our “Made in Brooklyn” series with two local jewelry designers, Yayoi Inada, whose pieces contain little reminders to slow down (definitely something that can come in handy in a busy city like New York!) and Nguyen Le, who blends classic jewelry pieces with soft, knit accents.

The Goods is more than a place to see our products. We’re here to tell the stories behind and beyond what we sell. When you visit our blog, you’ll meet artists, discover uncommon knowledge, immerse yourself in creative design, and get to know the people who keep UncommonGoods going strong.